Requite
by Hicranum
Summary: Currently, it's all setup. I'll update this when things get rolling.
1. Chapter 1

I'm not a writer, or artist, or anything of the sort. I just like Legend of Zelda a lot. And microbiology...but that's another matter.

So. Storytime. Which means warnings! Possible crappy writing. Definitely crappy titles. Some violence and/or language. Sheik-POV. Eventual yaoi. Hear that? **YAOI**. Sheik is his own character - it may or may not be AU, whatever. I know in the game he's Zelda, I'm wrong, etc. Don't really want to hear it, however rude that sounds.

And of course, I don't own Zelda or Nintendo or anything remotely related. I do, however, have an awesome Sheik costume, which I made myself. I also have rights to this story...which may not be saying much.

**Black-Out**

Oh, Hell.

I wasn't prepared for this.

The book shudders between my fingers, wisps and strains of a powerful magic spell being reabsorbed from my body, from the symbols now burned into the floor, even from what seems to be the room itself - and I have no earthly idea of what's going on anymore. I feel my energy being drained, as if from a distance. I see the book leave my hands, too, as if from a distance. Or maybe from another realm...everything's hazy..it's so far away. For all I know I _could_ be that far away.

From the same distance, I see the book slam shut - at the same time, I'm slammed back into the present, nearly knocked into the floor, and all of the haze of time and place is gone.

A loud boom, quakelike, and now I'm _actually_ lying on the floor. I choose to stay here, grimacing at the taste of blood from my busted lip, and wait for someone to come up and see what's going on. What I'm going to tell them, I have no idea; I myself have no idea.

All I know is that a minute ago I was talking to the Hero of Time, in the Temple of Time, before his battle with Ganandorf, no less - and now I'm lying here in my childhood room. My childhood room, located in a completely different plane than that of Hyrule. In fact, I'm still 12, a perfunctory glance at my hand tells me. The age I was when I picked up that damn book, did what it said, and somehow fucked with space and time itself.

'I'm never screwing around with magic again,' I swore to myself.

About this time I hear a door burst open, and, surprise surprise, it's a guard. As a kid, seven years ago (wait, it still is seven years ago, my brain chimed in), they were always keeping an eye on me...because...well, people from my tribe weren't really supposed to use magic. I guess I could see why, given what had just transpired. I'd heard that some other tribes dabbled in it, and of course, there was the reclusive tribe of Amin-fär, only rumored to exist, steeped in magic...

So now I'd caused what seemed to be a small explosion, using magic, and was currently staring up at an angry-looking guard. Angry was putting it lightly - he'd probably send me to the city's dungeons...I was starting to remember this guy, and I'm pretty sure he's wanted me locked up for years. Those who performed magic weren't trusted at all, and added on to that was the fact that I was an orphan (oh yeah...I'd forgotten about that), and, well...he just didn't like me too much. I think I may have egged him once, or something.

I sat up and groaned, not looking forward to finding another way to stay out of jail, again. I didn't think that Pari, one of the head caretakers who seemed to have some affinity for me, could get me out of this one. The guard was looking more and more livid by the second, the more evidence of magic he saw.

He headed towards me, I scooted backwards, and we both paused at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Pari stopped at the threshold of the doorway, stunned. She took one look at the room, then at me, then from the guard to the room and back to the guard again. The next thing I knew, a cruel-looking knife had miraculously found its way through the guard's throat and Pari's normally soft, melodic voice harshly whispered "We have to go. Now."

"But-"

"No time for questions."

I was perplexed, and about to open my mouth again, when she crossed the space between us, spread her fingers - and all was black.

Yes, it's short. It's more a prelude than anything...in fact, these first chapters are all kind of set-up. Sorry about that. I was writing, and it became more and more necessary.

Also, Sheik doesn't normally curse that much...but wouldn't you, if you were in that situation?


	2. Chapter 2

Standard warnings: language, violence, shexxx, and other mature themes of that nature.

Standard disclaimer: Don't own Legend of Zelda/Nintendo/much of anything. Just this story.

For anything more complicated, I refer you to the first chapter.

**An Awakening of Sorts**

That was nine years ago.

Apparently, I remained out for a few weeks; in her rush, Pari had over-powered the spell. When I woke it was in a dark, cool temple, very far from what I had called home. In fact, it was in the secretive, reclusive, hidden city of Amin-fär - the beautiful underground city of the Shadow Sheikah. In Hyrule, all Sheikah were "Shadow Folk"; here, it's a different story.

During the Great War1 of Hyrule, the Sheikahs, as a matter of course, aided the King and his troops in battle. As the war progressed, the death toll got higher and higher, and a resentment took hold in a small faction of the Sheikah ranks. This attitude was unprecedented - to resent the King, let alone imply abandonment, went against the entire Sheikah society and religion. The King worried at the growing resentment, and the result was the Great Betrayal, in which dozens of Sheikah were rounded up and brutally killed. This, ironically, galvanized the Sheikahs against the King. They used their combined magic (for then, all Sheikah were well-versed in both magic and combative skills) to create another realm and warp to it. The only remaining Sheikah were those recovering from grievous injury, unwittingly left behind, and a few who stubbornly stayed to protect the King. By the time I got to Hyrule, only Impa was left.

Generations later, in this new demension, enough Sheikah existed that different tribes began to form and establish their own cities. Now, there are four main city-tribes, two satellite tribes, and the "hidden" tribe I'm a member of. I used to live in the largest of the main city-tribes, Thaman. Thaman fears magic; it suppresses magic and oppresses those who perform it, at times killing those who gain too much skill. Amin-fär was formed by a persecuted group over 300 years ago. Almost every citizen of Amin-fär would be killed today if they lived in Thaman and were so open about their magical prowess.

As a society, they value magic in all of its forms. They are secretive, and stick to the shadows and caves of thier cities. The only use they have for conventional weapons is in long-range or silent close-combat weapons that can be used in assassin-type scenarios. Even thier appearance reflects this lifestyle; while most tribes have a 'look' to them, the citizens of Amin-fär have very distinct physical characteristics. They are smallish, in both height and physique, I suppose from living in hiding for so long. They are all pale-skinned, probably for the same reason. It is very rare for one to be out in the open world - only assasins and similar folk leave on a regular basis, and even then they are covered almost from head to toe. Most are dark-haired, although the tones range from an extreme dirty blonde to the darkest black. What I found to be the most fascinating about them, initially, was thier eyes. Deep purple was the base color, but beyond that they varied widely. You'd see deep purple with flecks of emerald, irises that were nearly pink, some deep maroon, some a more navy version of purple.

I really stick out here, in more ways than the physical. I was pretty much scared away from the larger forms of magic at twelve, but I still love to train with weapons. Here weapons-training is pretty rare; I usually have to spar with assasins. Sometimes I get to spar with the rare visitor, but rare it is. I think the last time was over three months ago. In addition, my bronze skin, Alizarin eyes, gold hair, and slightly taller height make me quite noticable among the more muted tones and pitite statures of my peers. I used to get stares, but they've gotten used to me, and I them.

The first person I met after I woke was Asho, now Haut-Pai (High Priest) of Amin-fär's main temple. He somehow got me to stop freaking out and told me, in that gentle, patient way of his, that they had forseen that I would perform a great act of magic. (I almost argued with him at this point - my Hyrule escapade was a complete accident - but he cut me off and went on.) They sent Pari to Thaman to watch over me and bring me back once this event occured. He's the only person that knows my true story.

I have never found out what happened in Hyrule after my speration from Zelda; sometimes I have dreams, but, you never know if those mean anything. Oftentimes they're quite mundane, sometimes they're replays of my past, and somtimes I'm in them. The last one I had was just me and Link, sitting on the banks of Lake Hylia, annoying the Tekkites on the water for laughs.

Since then I've sort of kept that promise I made, about not messing with magic. It's hard to do in Amin-fär, as all they do is magic. I also learned that the demension-hopping wasn't entirely my doing. Asho said that Impa must have had some sort of magical line out to pull in any Sheikah that boldly (or foolishly) left thier current realm. He didn't quite understand it and said it must have been a brilliant and complicated bit of magic, to which I replied that Impa was a brilliant and complicated woman. I didn't mention that Zelda had helped Impa with this spell. Something kept me from it. Maybe the fact that I had just met him...maybe I just didn't want to have to explain how powerful Zelda was, as the Seventh Sage.

Asho also didn't understand why Impa would want to summon a Sheikah to Hyrule's realm, until I explained that she was the only one left and that she needed some way to protect the princess. At first he was shocked that there were no Sheikah left; then what I said hit him and he was angry that she had basically forced me to perform a fusion (of sorts) with the princess. I defended her actions and tried to make him see it from her point of view - as well as telling him how valuable it was for me - but I still have an inkling he views her as in the wrong. I don't really care. It happened, and nothing can be done about it now.

I went to Palaese, a kind of school-magic-training hybrid, and lived in the main temple. Asho knew I was more mature than my age would imply, and let me more or less do as I pleased. In Palaese I had to learn some basic magic, which is part of the curriculum, and other than that I focused on astronomy, mathematics, physics, and poetry. I have a soft spot for poetry. The only magics I studied were music and teleportation spells. I was already good, and became so good at them that I was offered a job upon graduation, which I declined in favor of my current job. I also set up a complicated warp point to one of my favorite spots in the outside world. This is illegal - in order for the city to remain hidden and secure, people must have permission to leave, which is really hard to get - and only Asho knows about it. I think he knows that without this little bit of solitude I'd be forced to leave for good. Sometimes Amin-fär can be too much.

This is actually where I am right now: drying off, perched on jutting rock some fifteen feet over the ocean. The moon is obscured by clouds; a cool fall breeze flutters through my wet hair and wraps around my bare chest. I guess I'm paranoid - there's no way anyone's going to get here, let alone see me - but I always leave my pants on during nighttime ocean swims like this.

The cold is so relaxing and stimulating all at once. I just sit and think, mulling over things, life, whatever comes through my mind. Asho has been kind of worried about me lately, and I can't help but dwell upon our earlier conversation.

_Sunset, that evening, in the main temple_

"Sheik, I know you're very successful as far as your career goes...but you know there's more to life than that."

I glance over at him, take in his scrutinizing gaze, and go back to looking out of the temple balcony to the dazzling city below. He makes a noise of impatience, and I know he's starting to get annoyed with me - he's usually the most patient person you'll ever meet.

I lean against the doorframe, feigning nonchalance, closing off my emotions. "Yes. I'm not quite sure what you're getting to."

He shifted in his chair. "It's just that your life seems...I don't know..."

"Solitary?" I offer tonelessly.

"Well...yes. I guess that's it. I mean..."

"I socialize with you and with whoever I need to at my job, and other than that I stay cooped up in my apartment, or hidden away here in the temple, or outside where no one else is?"

Now he looks genuinely uncomfortable, and I almost laugh. I guess he can tell from my eye, somehow (I still wear a face cover, and all the head wrap ever did was keep my unruly hair somewhat out of the way), that I'm smiling, because he shoots me a rueful grin.

"That sounds harsh."

"It's true."

A slight lull.

"It just seems like you've closed yourself off after Viker -"

"It's not Viker," I interrupt, annoyed. If it's about anything, it's about Link.

A pause - I fear for a moment I actually offended him, but then he quietly asks, "Is it about Hyrule?"

I just look out, up past the beautiful waterfall that cascades down the front wall of the city, in front of the temple, to see the red of the sunset sky issuing forth from the hole in the cieling some 200 feet above. It's breathtaking every time.

"Ronhär," he calls, softly, addressing me by my 'real' name, assuredly interrupting me from my reverie.

Hyrule.

"I just feel seperated from everyone here," I vented, suprised at myself. "I mean..."

He indicated that I should go on, smiling solemnly - how did he do that anyway?

I sighed. "I'm not sure. I just always have felt that way...first, I was seven years older than anyone knew; second, I wasn't from Amin-fär...third, I felt like I was from another time completely...another demension, really - "

"Hyrule kind of became home...?"

"As much of a home as I've ever had," I snorted.

"That's not true," came his soft reply. "For a long time, even, you seemed very at home here."

"But still different," I countered.

"Rah," he smiled, using his pet name for me, "I'm afraid you're going to be different no matter where you are."

I scowled.

He chuckled. "You're usually not this moody. At least outwardly."

I sent him a glare; trying to provoke me like that.

"Hah!" He threw up a fist in victory. For having such a serious occupation, he sure was childlike sometimes. I had to smile.

"I guess I just miss it sometimes." Not really the place, my brain countered, but the people.

"Aah," Asho nodded - understanding, but not really.

Back to present!

I finish drying and go home to sit on the deck of my apartment. All of the houses in the city face inwards, towards the lake in the bottom of the cavern. The lights from the rising buildings, storys upon storys carved out of the sheer cliff walls surrounding the basin, twinkle in the black glass of the lake surface.

Even my house 2 feels like it's missing a person, or people. It's in a prime location - full view of the lake and most of the city, on the 5R terrace - it's two stories, which is hard to come by here, and it was given to me by the city. I love it...however, it is much too large for one person. Two would be just right. The extra bedroom is instead lined with books, all read at least once over. I decided to go down and pick one out for tonight, as I'm kind of an insomniac. I never have been able to sleep well. It probably started in the Dark Years, in Hyrule, and it's a habit that won't seem to go away. On the bright side, this, combined with my maturity, allowed me to progress through school and training at an amazing pace. I had an official job as the main city architect by my twentieth birthday, a little over a year ago.

Sitting down on the terrace again, I admire it for a moment. It's a creation all my own, softly lit, beautifully crafted - simple but with a sense of the ethreal. It's small, and above is the level 6 terrace, which is mostly comprised of mansions. The space was supposed to be (yet another) bedroom with a small balcony, but I didn't see the need and knocked out the outer wall, moving it back some ten feet. That was a feat in itself - every structure in Amin-fär is either carved out of stone or made of stone blocks. Most of the terrace is obscured from public view, a hole within a block of similar townhomes, with about three feet that stick out above the street level. Oftentimes, I'll sit here all night, reading books or simply observing the city.

Which is what I'll do tonight.

**NOTES!**

1 In this, the Great War was ancient. Which may or may not go against fandom-cannon. (Hah, fandom-cannon. I like that concept.)

2 Houses in Amin-fär are kind of like conventional townhouses...you know...all connected to each other and opening out into the street.

Ronhär - like "Rahn + hair" (Same for "fär" - amin + fair)

And, um, I know the city description doesn't make much sense...I'll scan some drawings in or something. O.o


	3. Chapter 3

Standard warnings: language, violence, shexxx, and other mature themes of that nature.

Standard disclaimer: Don't own Legend of Zelda/Nintendo/much of anything. Just this story.

For anything more complicated, I refer you to the first chapter.

I apologize for the sucky titles. Me and titles - we don't really get along.

Also, I apologize for the lack of formatting... really has it out for Macs. ;; It's sad. Hopefully that's over, now that I'm using school computers.

**Thinking in Circles**

I like temples. I always have - Thaman's stark, plain, uniform ones; Hyrule's, each with its own unique soul; and of course, the otherworldly beauty of Amin-fär's, at once lush and sober.

It kind of helps that I did the restructuring and restorations of the main temple here, but hey.

I like the people in the temples. In Thaman, I only liked some - but these were the only people in that entire society I seemed to enjoy being around. Others made me wary, and made me all too aware that I was an outsider. To citizens of Thaman, my hair was too dark, my skin too light, my eyes a deep red while theirs a burnt orange - in this way I more resembled a neighboring tribe, members of which I'd occasionally see wandering the city streets.

I like the goings-on in the temples. Prayer, healing, learning - all of it. I especially enjoy the priests' philosophical conversations...like this afternoon. It was the weekend, and what better for me to do with a load of free time than talk to religious intellectuals all day? In my opinion, not much.

Right now Asho, myself, and two other priests were discussing the Break.

Discussions like these sometimes put me in a precarious position, as I _have_ been to Hyrule and, as far as anyone (but Asho) knows, no one from this realm has ever gone back. Sometimes the other priests considered my opinions strange; then again, their view of me as somewhat of a rogue probably didn't help matters.

"Is it wrong to have left?" One started up the old debate. I swear, you think they would get tired of this, but alas - it's even a central part of any religion student's coursework.

"Of course not," a new priest (an apprentice actually, and quite young) interjected. "The goddesses gave us the power to leave...and thus the permission."

His superior looked approvingly at him, but still went on. "Or did they? How do you know we didn't go against their wishes by coming here? Abandoning the Royal Family, which was our Goddess-ordained duty for centuries beforehand?"

"Simple. We couldn't have done it on our own," was the immediate response.

This is an argument that always ends up going in circles; I study the cityscape instead.

"Aren't you going to comment, Ronhär?"

I started. "I'm sorry?"

"Well, you usually state that even with or without the Goddesses' power, it was not our position to abandon the King. That it went against the Sheikah code."

"That doesn't mean I believe it. It's just another way of looking at things." The truth was that I wasn't sure what I believed. It was nice hearing the other side, however.

"Right. You seem to argue for it an awful lot."

"No one else does," I replied cooly.

"But if the Goddesses gave us the power to...how could that be against the religion?!"

"For centuries our duty to the Royal Family was a central part of our religion. You know that."

"Perhaps the Three changed their minds - decided that the king wasn't worth protecting anymore."

"Yes. They do that a lot," I said derisively.

"Well, how else do you think we got here? Even the most powerful Sheikah would never be able to create an entire realm!"

"Perhaps not. Perhaps so."

"Oh please. You know it's not possible, Ronhär!"

The truth is, I've thought of a way it could have happened. If the ancient Sheikah had access to the Triforce...then they would have had both the power to pull it off...and the Goddesses' blessing. There wouldn't have been much that the Three could do about it. It's a long shot, but nothing else makes sense in my mind. The goddesses really _don't_ change their minds often. They put things into motion decades, sometimes even centuries beforehand.

And then there's that. What if the Three intended this to happen? Set in motion the events that would lead to the Sheikah abandonment of the Royal Family and ultimately of Hyrule?

Then they would've changed their minds. Blessed the Sheikah and helped them create a new realm. But if they didn't change their minds...then the Sheikah are in for a really rough time in the afterlife.

I looked up from my reverie; they were all peering at me. "There are many things unknown to us," I shrugged, rather cryptically.

As if signaling the end of the debate, the clock chimes sounded, and the two other priests went back to their duties.

Which meant it was just me and Asho now. We sit in companionable silence for a few minutes, musing over the previous debate.

"What do you think...about the Triforce theory?"

He looked up at me. "From what you've told me, it's plausible...especially if they had managed to secure all three pieces."

"Well, we don't know that," I reminded him.

"Do you think the government sees discussions like this as dangerous?" I asked rather abruptly.

He chuckled. "No. Why would they?"

"They would in Thaman," I replied.

He hadn't heard much about Thaman - at least not from me. I never talked about it. It was long, long ago in my mind. He's only asked about it once, in fact.

"It seems Thaman's not a particularly nice place."

"Oh, it is, so long as you're not too much of a dissident. Or practice magic," I smirked.

"I thought you did?" He leaned towards me, grinning mischievously.

"Yeah, in secret. Mostly teleportation spells...I'm pretty sure that that's how I wound up in Hyrule. A combination of the spell I was altering at the time and Impa's spell."

He was astonished at this. "Altering? You didn't tell me about that."

I chuckled. "What? Nine years ago? I was afraid to. All that...stuff," I waved my hand, "happened, then all of a sudden I was here, in a strange place, being interrogated by people I'd never seen in my life."

"Still...you've had years to since then!" he barked.

"I didn't really think it was important," was my meek counter.

"Well, I'm sure there would be interested people - "

"Which is something that I'm not interested in," I cut him off.

He sighed at me. "So stubborn, you are!"

I just sent him a small grin - which he couldn't see, but he could tell somehow that I was.

"Well, I'd like you to tell me what you think about this...we've had some odd interference with these signals from the desert temple...I thought you might know something about it."

"You know I don't take to studying the temples' magic reverberations," I shot at him.

"Ok, ok, fine. But look at these astral charts, they're picking it up too - disturbances happening in the desert region. Weird stuff's been going on for a bit, just small things, but this is really off."

Well, he had me there. I did study stars on occasion, and I had noticed some odd movements. I studied the charts, but there really wasn't much I could do. It wasn't anything I hadn't already noted.

Except. "It seems like this area could've been disturbed by some sort of portal...or..." I squinted, thinking. "This is strange. I can't think of anything like it."

"I couldn't either, but I'm not nearly as well versed as you in these traveling magics. I was just seeing if you saw any evidence of teleportation."

I frowned down at the page. "If so, it's very well hidden."

"We both know that it's possible," he winked, hinting at the complicated spells I used to cover my tracks when I went to the ocean.

"Well...I don't know what to tell you...other than perhaps to get some advice from the teachers at Palasae."

He laughed at that. "You're far better than they are - you even got offered a job right after graduation, remember?"

I grunted. He laughed even harder.

"I should head home."

"Ah. And what book is for tonight?"

I frowned. "I don't know."

---------------------------------------- /////// -------------------------------------------

Actually, I was feeling like the harp.

I played it, as nimbly and lovingly as ever, and eventually turned to the songs I'd taught Link so long ago.

Nine years. _Shit_. The song turned effortlessly from minuet to a more somber one. I wondered what they all were doing - Link, Zelda, and Impa, of course, but even the others. That psychotic sage, Ruto. The Goron that tried to eat my hair wrap. Even that friggin' _creepy_ poe dealer who tried to get me to take off my uniform for him. Ugh. What would someone like that do in a revived Hyrule?

I thought of Link. I hope he won, I really do. To be perfectly honest, I don't think he was capable of losing...just...the fire in his eyes - they were always blazing, but especially at that last meeting in the Temple of Time. What could have been, if I had stayed? Impa said that she really wasn't sure what would happen once the fusion was undone...

I idly pondered this question...if I had stayed...or had been able to. It was certainly not the first time I'd done so since arriving here.

I missed Link - I cared for him so much more than I let myself admit at the time. Which was a shame...we could've had something. Or maybe that's just inane hopefulness.

These thoughts always end up going in circles, yet I can't really help it. I chuckled - it was remarkably similar to the priests from earlier today. Maybe they can't help it either.

Still...there were times where I had to wonder about him... at least, the few times we were both able to just sit and talk, something seemed to click.

I smiled, thinking about the night we spent by the fireside on the shores of Lake Hylia. It was my full intent to just drop in and check up on him, maybe get on his case about getting to the Shadow Temple in a timely manner - and as far as I could tell, it was his full intent to eat dinner and get a good night's sleep before setting off again. At least that's what he told me. It convinced me, at any rate. We ended up staying up all night, talking, joking, threatening to torch the scarecrow if it didn't stop dancing, philosophizing. It was nice, and surprising; he managed to get me out of my shell so easily. (Or as a certain loose canon I know would say, "He really got that fuckin' stick out of your ass, eh?")

I shook my head - now where did that come from? I sighed. I really should get over it and get a life.

'You tried that already,' some part of my brain interjected, 'and look what happened.' That kind of sucked...actually, it sucked a whole lot.

I scowled under my face mask, not realizing that I had stopped playing. I'm being an idiot, I know - still fawning over Link rather than just moving on and finding some perfectly wonderful other guy out there. In fact, I could think of some perfectly wonderful guys off the top of my head. And they're Sheikah. And single. And definitely gay. _And in the same dimension_.

Still...if I could solve matters of the heart through logic, I'd be out there by now.

At this, I looked over towards the town. It was breathtaking anytime, but at night especially. Moonlight filtered in and reflected off the lake in the basin, as did all of the other lights in the city. In the lakeside park, fairies floated cheerfully, adding their lights to the mix.

The scene across the ravine and down two terraces was always entertaining. Whereas the same terrace on my side has your typical stores - clothiers, grocers, weapons, everyday things - along with a few restaurants and a tavern or two, the other side roars with nightlife on the weekends. I could sit all night and watch the show, if I so wanted - I had exceptionally keen vision, and it wasn't really too far away. It was far enough that it wouldn't keep me up all night, that's for sure. I once thought about living over there, near the 'gay' district of the city, but...it's not for me.

Instead I live in a neighborhood of modest homes. There are a few singles here, but mostly it's couples - young and old - and small families. I sighed, internally this time -and looked over at the partiers. At one time I was a part of that scene. It wouldn't be too weird to show up again. Maybe I should go out and get a drink, or food...or something.

Then I stifled a yawn. Or I could sleep. Right now that seemed the logical choice. Maybe a compromise; a glass of wine and then bed. Yes...now _that_ was an idea.

**NOTES:**

So much build-up, gaah! If you're obsessed with Sheik, you'll probably find this entertaining; if not, you're probably screaming 'WHERE'S THE YAOI?!"

Um...it's coming? Someday? When college is not eating my soul?


End file.
